In order to explain the background of the invention, a prefilled syringe of a known type will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 to 19.
The conventional prefilled syringe includes a tubular body 31 and a plunger 32 with a rod. The tubular body 31 has a front compartment 34 and a rear compartment 35 separated by a partition 33 which is movable axially with the tubular body 31. The front compartment 34 includes a bypass 36 produced in the form of a recess. So long as the partition 33 stays in the rear compartment 35, it separates the two compartments 34 and 35 from each other in a sealing manner as shown in FIG. 15, but when it is moved into the front compartment 34, an opening is formed between the partition 33 and the bypass 36 in the front compartment 34. The movement of the partition 33 is performed by pushing the plunger 32. When the partition 33 is moved into the front compartment 34, the liquid contained in the rear compartment 35 is introduced into the front compartment 34 through the bypass 36 and dissolves or disperses the medicinal component in the front compartment 34 or becomes mixed therewith, as the case may be. In this way an injection liquid is obtained in the front compartment 34, and is ready to be ejected from the tubular body 31. This exemplary prefilled syringe is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication (allowed) No. 49-14465.
FIG. 19 shows a modified version in which the partition 33 is provided with ring-shaped ribs 33a so as to enable the partition 33 to smoothly slide on and along the inside wall of the tubular body 31 with minimum contact therewith. The conventional prefilled syringes have the following problems.
The front compartment 34 is filled with a powdery medicinal component. When the medicinal component is liquid, it is first filled in the front compartment 34 and then freeze-dried into a powdery state as shown in FIG. 17. A vehicle L for dissolving or dispersing the medicinal component P is placed in the rear compartment 35. In this way a finished syringe is obtained. If the vehicle L is to be sterilized by steam, the syringe is closed by a cap 37 as shown in FIG. 17. However, this steam sterilization is likely to denature the medicinal component P in the front compartment 34. As a solution to this problem, an alternative method is that, after the vehicle L is sterilized by steam, the medicinal powder P is placed in the front compartment 34. However, this method is disadvantageous in that droplets of water or moisture from the steam are likely to stay on or impregnate or penetrate and later escape from the partition 33 (commonly made of rubber), thereby detrimentally wetting the desiccated powdery medicinal component P.
Since a powdery medicinal component tends to become unstable in the presence of water, it is essential to dry out at least the side of the partition 33 facing the front compartment 34 which contains a desiccated powdery injection component. It is common practice to dry the syringe at a temperature of 100.degree. C. or more for hours, but this high temperature unfavorably affects the vehicle L in the rear compartment 35. As a result, this high temperature heat-drying method cannot be adopted.
It is common practice to provide the partition 33 with annular or ring-shaped ribs 33a along the periphery so as to reduce friction between the parition 33 and the inside wall of the body 33. In this case, they unavoidably form one or more ring-shaped grooves (G) therebetween. These grooves (G) trap the injection liquid when the injection liquid is ejected from the rear compartment 35 to the front compartment 34 so that the injection liquid remains unused in the grooves (G). Specifically, the injection liquid is pushed axially through the bypass 36, but the ribs 33a catch some of the liquid through the bypass 36 and divert it circumferentially into the grooves (G) where it is trapped and remains unused. This results in a waste of the injection liquid.
In using a prefilled syringe, it is important to mix the medicinal component and the vehicle into a homogeneous injection liquid. Normally, immediately prior to use, the syringe is swung by hand to mix these substances. However, difficulty arises in pushing the plunger to the appropriate position; if the plunger is pushed excessively into the tubular body, it is likely that the medicinal component and vehicle are injected through the syringe without being sufficiently mixed. If the plunger stays in the midst of the bypass 36, backflow of the liquid is likely to occur from the front compartment to the rear compartment. If the insertion of the plunger is short of the appropriate distance, the vehicle L in the rear compartment fails to enter the front compartment through the bypass.
In order to solve this problem, applicants have considered indicia or markings at an appropriate position on the plunger where the plunger is to be stopped. This marking method encounters the difficulty of temporarily retaining the plunger from axial movement relative to the tubular body while the mixing is effected by swinging the syringe. Besides, attention must be constantly paid to the marking while the rod is pushed. The conventional prefilled syringe has no device which has solved this problem.